Disappointment countered? Check

13Aug08

Bad news, good news.

I literally just read this. Remember that video game Gary Oldman kindly told us about that was supposed to be based on The Dark Knight and come out later this year, around the release date of the film’s dvd? Well, I speak in the past tense because there’s not going to be one.

BUT!

There IS going to be another Batman game later this year—and no, I’m not talking about LEGO Batman (although that looks like it’s going to kick ass). According to Slashgamer.com, the game is called Batman: Arkham Asylum (all right, I’m already hooked) and it’s being developed by Rocksteady Studios (Urban Chaos) and Eidos. The story will be co-written by … are you ready?

Paul Freaking Dini.

Hot damn!

The story will, obviously, explore Gotham’s infamous mental hospital, Arkham Asylum. During what should be a routine transfer, something goes horribly wrong and the Joker takes over the facility (wow, this is very Arkham Asylum, isn’t it?).

Game Informer reports that the game will have a “dark and gritty” level design reminiscent of Bioshock.

Note: This doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be a video game adaptation for The Dark Knight sometime in the future—although (and I didn’t know this at first) the Batman Begins video game (which I thought was fun, but whatever) evidently didn’t sell over very well (but remember, BB didn’t have nearly the hype TDK did). Considering that LEGO Batman seems pretty well anticipated, maybe not doing a TDK adaptation and instead doing a newish kind of Batman game is the way to go.

Still, I’d love to see the movie translated to a video game. But even if we don’t end up seeing that, Arkham Asylum sounds like it’s going to rock socks.

UPDATE: More info here—and make sure to keep an eye on this countdown by Rocksteady Studios.

Meanwhile, there’s still that report that Pandemic is developing a Batman game, as well. It’s supposed to feature an open-ended Gotham City, which Batman can explore using his grappling hook or driving the Batmobile. (Whoa, pinch me.) Though based on The Dark Knight, it’s supposed to take place after the events in the movie. Maybe this was what Gary Oldman was talking about? Electronic Arts—the owners of Pandemic—hasn’t shown the game off yet because evidently it still needs major work. Check out 1up.com for more details.

So wait, does this mean that we’ll be seeing three Batman games in the near future? LEGO Batman, Batman: Arkham Asylum by Rocksteady Studios/Eidos, and another one from Pandemic?